Are You Listening

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!

RSB3- Congrats on a very successful competition at Ponder last weekend and GOOD LUCK at the UIL Region 7 Marching Contest at 3:00 tomorrow Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls!

Lady Blues and Graham Steer Cross Country are REGIONAL QUALIFIERS!  Congratulations and BEST OF LUCK at the Regional Meet this coming Monday!

Lady Blues Volleyball are DISTRICT CHAMPIONS! The victory over Burkburnett this past Tuesday clinched the District Championship for the 2017 Lady Blues Volleyball Team.  They will be at home this afternoon at 4:30 for Senior Night  finishing out district play vs Hirschi.  GREAT JOB LADIES…. THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

Pink Out & Relay for Life- The Lady Blues Pink Out fundraiser at the game vs Iowa Park raised $1100.00.  The funds will be donated to Relay for Life, Young County! Great job ladies and parents!

Patterson Gives Back- Great news!!! The Graham Junior High and Woodland Elementary campuses have been selected as Finalists for the PATTERSON GIVES BACK CONTEST and need your votes!!!! You can vote daily until midnight on Tuesday, October 31.  To vote, please go to pattersongivesback.com and select the “vote for the nominees” option. Please visit the site and vote for Graham Junior High School and Woodland Elementary. You are encouraged to share this information and to vote often!

Garments of Grace- Just wanted to remind you all with the change of weather that we do have Garments of Grace available.  They donate clothes to our kiddos who need them.  The parent/guardian of the child does have to call and schedule an appointment and take their child to pick up the clothes. Please contact your campus counselor if you would like the information to send home with any of your students.

Are You Listening...

Back when the telegraph was the was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator.

Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified.

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, “Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled.”

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, “Wait a minute, I don’t understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair!”

The employer said, “I’m sorry, but all the time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: ‘If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.’ None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his.”

We live in a world that is full of busyness and clatter, like that office. People are distracted and unable to truly hear. Are you tuned in to the message being shared with you? Are you listening?

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY:

Why did Humpty Dumpty love Autumn? (Scroll down for the answer.)

He had a great Fall!

Trouble Tree

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!

I have considered Friday the 13th a lucky day ever since Friday, October 13, 1989… the day of my favorite daughter’s birth.  Happy Birthday Morgan York!!!

Graham High School Choir- If you weren’t able to attend the choir concert this past Tuesday evening you missed out.  Our students and Choral Director Deborah Loesch presented a wonderful performance! Here’s a link to a couple of videos of the performance:

GHS Choir 1

GHS Choir 2

Congrats to GHJS Cross-Country and Coach England! Both the GJHS Girls and Boys teams are District Champions.

Great Job Lady Blues Cross-Country Teams! Varsity and Junior Varsity are District Champions!

Graham Steer Cross Country Finishes 2nd at District! Sam Perkins was 4th, Greg Simental was 5th, and Johnathan Sanchez finished 10th.

Lady Blues Volleyball Pink Out Game- The Lady Blues will be playing Iowa Park this afternoon.  The varsity contest will begin at 4:30 p.m.  BEAT THE LADY HAWKS!

Graham Steer Football Pink Out Game- The Steers will be in action this evening at Newton Field vs Bridgeport.  Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.  BEAT BRIDGEPORT!

RSB3- Best of luck at the Ponder Marching Contest on Saturday!

Prayer and Concern/Praise and Celebration Messages- In an effort to keep all of our GISD family informed, I do my best to share information as it is shared with me. Please do not assume that I know every need or every celebration that needs to be shared.  The most simple way to let me know is to send me an email with all the details and a pic if it’s appropriate.  You could also choose to complete the Life Events Form.

Trouble Tree...

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward, he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied." I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning, I pick them up again."

He paused. "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY:

What do you call a pony with a cough? (Scroll down for the answer.)

A little hoarse.

Initiative

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!

Lady Blues Volleyball- The Lady Blues Volleyball team is currently 28-5.  Next victim is Iowa Park tonight at IP. GOOD LUCK LADIES!

Graham Steer Football- The undefeated Steers will be in action this evening in Big Spring. WISHING THE STEERS SAFE TRAVEL AND GOOD LUCK!

RSB3- I jumped the gun last week and reported this a week early.  The Rompin Stompin Big Blue Band will be competing tomorrow at the Sounds of Springtown Marching Festival. HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!

Lady Blues and Graham Steers Cross Country- The team will be competing in Ft. Worth at the Western Hills Invitational meet.  GOOD LUCK!

PINK OUT IS ONE WEEK AWAY- Friday, October 13- Get your Pink ready!

VOTER REGISTRATION- Voter registration must be received in person by Tuesday, October 10th and those received by mail must be postmarked by Tuesday, October 10th in order for a voter to be eligible to vote in the November 7th election.  IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY, PLEASE REGISTER TO VOTE TODAY! You can check to see if you are registered, update your address or register for the first time here.

GPEF HALL OF HONOR- Graham ISD has partnered with the Graham Public Education Foundation to create a Hall of Honor to recognize alumni, staff and community members who have provided meritorious service to the district and/or their profession.

Nominations will be accepted through Friday, November 3, 2017. The application packet is available at the following link: GPEF Hall of Honor Nomination Form or a copy can be picked up at the Graham ISD administration office.

The tentative timeline for the selection process and inaugural induction of the Hall of Honor is:

• Nominations due by Friday, November 3, 2017
• Week of December 4- The GISD Superintendent will make the Hall of Honor honoree list public and will send a notification to each person selected.
• Week of February 5- Host the First Annual Hall of Honor Banquet.

Please submit the nomination form and any supporting documents postmarked by Friday, November 3, 2017, to: GPEF Hall of Honor Program, Graham ISD, 400 Third Street, Graham, TX 76450, Attn: Sonny Cruse, Superintendent of Schools.

NOMINATION CATEGORIES AND CRITERIA FOR CONSIDERATION:

Distinguished Alumni Award: 1. Is a Graham High School alumnus who has been out of high school at least ten (10) years; 2. Has special achievements in the nominee's area of specialization; 3. Has received honors, awards, etc. on a local, regional, national and/or international level; 4. Can demonstrate community service; 5. Has made meritorious contributions to society in general, or to a specific segment of society.

Distinguished Staff Award: 1. Nominee must have worked at least ten (10) years in Graham ISD; 2. Contributed substantial and significant support to the Graham ISD specifically and education in general; 3. Developed relationships with district and community members to foster community learning; 4. Must have exited employment at least one (1) year prior to being considered for induction.

Distinguished Community Member Award: 1. Individuals, businesses, or community groups that have supported and encouraged academic achievement through donations, scholarships, or other meaningful ways. 2. Made significant contributions to the development and improvement of the Graham ISD.

Historical Award: 1. Connection to the GISD from 1883 to 1940. 2. Meets the criteria for one of the above three categories. Note, for Staff during this time period, the ten (10) year service requirement will be waived due to the fact that all female teachers in the early days of the Graham ISD were single. Once they married, they were not allowed to teach in Graham ISD unless their husband was a teacher/admin/coach. During the years of World War II, that changed because male teachers went off to war.

Posthumous Consideration: 1. See criteria above. 2. The candidate must have passed more than one (1) year prior to being considered for induction.

Initiative...

The galleries are full of critics.  They play no ball.  They fight no fights.  They make no mistakes because they attempt nothing.  Down in the arena are the doers.  They make many mistakes because they attempt many things.

Ford forgot to put a reverse gear on his first automobile and then went on to revolutionize the automobile industry with his Model T.

The man who makes no mistakes lacks boldness and the spirit of adventure.  He never tries anything new.  He is a brake on the wheels of progress.

Have a nice initiative day!

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY:

What did the big bucket say to the smaller one? (Scroll down for the answer)

Lookin’ a little pail there!

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!

PEP RALLY TODAY- The pep rally will begin at 1:40 at GHS today to allow for all student groups to participate.  Hope to see you there! BE LOUD AND PROUD!!!

LADY BLUES VOLLEYBALL- The Lady Blues continued their winning ways this past Tuesday by defeating Vernon to improve to 2-0 in district play.  This evening they are on the road to WF to face the Lady Huskies from Hirschi High.  BEAT HIRSCHI!

GRAHAM STEER FOOTBALL- The Steers will be at Newton Field tonight against the Stephenville Yellow Jackets.  Kickoff is at 7:30. BEAT STEPHENVILLE HIGH!

RSB3- The Rompin Stompin Big Blue band will be marching in the Sounds of Springtown Marching Festival on Saturday.  REPRESENT!

LADY BLUES AND GRAHAM STEER TENNIS- Our varsity tennis teams will be hosting Hirschi beginning at 9:00 am on Saturday morning.  GOOD LUCK!

GJHS LADY BLUES VOLLEYBALL GRAHAM TOURNAMENT- The GJHS volleyball teams will be playing in our home tournament on Saturday. GOOD LUCK LADIES!

Less is More!

It takes tremendous fortitude to utter the words “I was wrong, and I am sorry.” Synonyms for fortitude include: strength, courage, resilience, grit, determination, endurance, guts, and staying power.  Who doesn’t want to be all of that?

Too often we deal with people who believe that admitting they were wrong shows weakness or ineptness. The danger of that belief, especially when it is held by people in positions of power or authority, is that it backs a leader into defending their poor choices, even when they themselves have come to recognize they were wrong. We end up placing false blame on others in order to prove that they were right. We point fingers and say that someone else didn’t execute as they should have and that is the reason things went wrong. In our minds we see this as a way to save face or retain respect. Sadly, we don’t accomplish any of those things. In fact, we accomplish the exact opposite. Others recognize when mistakes have been made, and they also recognize when a someone is covering his/her own tracks. They ultimately lose respect, trust, and confidence.

If we want to be genuinely successful in both our professional and personal life, we have to be willing to set aside our pride, our fears, and our insecurities, and really come to recognize that to be a true leader that is deserving of their position of authority, we must earn – not demand – the respect of others.  The journey toward earning their respect begins the moment we recognize our mistakes and have the integrity and fortitude to utter the words, “I was wrong, and I am sorry” without any distractors such as, “well, I only acted like that because you did this.” In this case less is definitely more!

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY:

How do you fix a broken pumpkin? (Scroll down for the answer)

A pumpkin patch!

Ten Things I Know About You

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY HOMECOMING FRIDAY!

Congrats to Sydney East, Elizabeth Routon and Lexie Williams! These three young ladies were nominated by their classmates for Homecoming Queen.  To quote GHS principal Joe Gordy, “These three ladies serve as an excellent representation of our high school and best of all they are all three very involved and all three nice to everyone!”

Lady Blues Volleyball- Beat Burkburnett today at 4:30 in the GHS gym!

Graham Steers Football- Beat Burkburnett tonight at 7:30 at Newton Field!

Lady Blues and Graham Steer Cross Country- Best of luck at the Western Hills Invitational Meet in Ft. Worth on Saturday.

Lady Blues and Graham Steer Tennis- Good luck at home vs Hirschi on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.

Teacher of the Month Program- Beginning this month, we will be honoring one of our teachers as the Teacher of the Month.  Benchmark Office Solutions is partnering with the district on this award and will be providing the Teacher of the Month with a $100.00 gift card. To nominate someone for the award complete the form at https://goo.gl/forms/Cq00ltlNd07ChGgI2. The nomination process will close at noon on Thursday, September 28th.

Reminder: Three Weeks Till Texas Voter Registration Deadline- October 10 is the last day to register to vote for the November 7 General Election. (Applications must be received in the Voter Registrar’s office or postmarked at least 30 days before an election for individuals to be eligible to vote in that election.) Early voting runs October 23–November 3. Learn more. Several constitutional amendments will be on the ballot.

Free Flu Shots- Jordan’s Pharmacy is ready to begin giving Flu shots.  If you have TRS health insurance the shots will be free.

TEN (10) THINGS I KNOW ABOUT YOU    

1) You are reading this.     

2) You are human.

3) You can't say the letter ''P'' without separating your lips.

4) You just attempted to do it.

6) You are laughing at yourself.     

7) You have a smile on your face and you skipped No. 5.

8) You just checked to see if there is a No. 5.

9) You laugh at this because you are a fun loving person.

10) You are probably going to send this to others.

Have a great day.  Laugh, and then laugh and sing.   Life is beautiful - even when it's not….and - DO NOT REGRET GROWING OLDER.  IT'S A PRIVILEGE DENIED TO MANY.

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY FROM AMY MURPHY:

What time do you go to the dentist?

At tooth-hurty!

Wonders of the World

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!

Praise and Celebration- Coach Regina England- The information below was shared with Mrs. Robbins by a parent.  Great job Coach England!

“I attended the cross country meet in Lipan yesterday and had a parent from another school stop me to brag on our kids and Coach England, so I thought it would share it with you.  She said that their group had been watching how well Coach England handled the huge group of Graham kids in general, but they were most impressed with how the Graham kids went back after they finished the race to cheer on their team members and then continued to cheer and keep up with the very last runners in the race until every one of them crossed the finish line.  As a parent of kids she is coaching, I know that Coach England is fabulous at her job, but I thought it was an even better thing for a stranger to notice her work!”

Lady Blues Volleyball- The Lady Blues will be in action at home this afternoon at 4:00 pm vs Millsap.  GO LADY BLUES!”

Lady Blues and Graham Steer Tennis will be playing against Hirschi tomorrow.  Good luck!

Congrats Graham Steers! The Steers defeated Hirschi 42-35 to improve to 3-0 on the season. Next up… Burkburnett for the Homecoming Victory. Go Steers!

Congrats Lady Blues Cross Country! The Lady Blues JV and Varsity teams won the Lipan meet.

Teacher of the Month Program- Beginning this month, we will honoring one of our teachers as the Teacher of the Month.  Benchmark Office Solutions is partnering with the district on this award and will be providing the Teacher of the Month with a $100.00 gift card. To nominate someone for the award complete the form at https://goo.gl/forms/Cq00ltlNd07ChGgI2.

Free Flu Shots- Jordan’s Pharmacy is ready to begin giving Flu shots.  If you have TRS health insurance the shots will be free.

Wonders of the World

A group of Geography students studied the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of that section, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World.

Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids

2. Taj Mahal

3. Grand Canyon

4. Panama Canal

5. Empire State Building

6. St. Peter's Basilica

7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So, she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.

The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to touch

2. to taste

3. to see

4. to hear

She hesitated a little, and then

5. to run

6. to laugh

7. and to love

It is far too easy for us to look at the exploits of man and refer to them as "wonders" while we overlook all God has done, regarding them as merely

"ordinary."

May you be reminded today of those things which are truly wondrous.

Have a nice day and enjoy your Wonder of the World!

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY:

Have you heard about the corduroy pillow?

No? Really?  It’s making headlines!